| Melbourne Sandbelt Victoria | |
|---|---|
  Melbourne Sandbelt | |
| Coordinates | 37°58′26″S145°7′6″E / 37.97389°S 145.11833°E Coordinates: 37°58′26″S145°7′6″E / 37.97389°S 145.11833°E |
The Melbourne Sandbelt is a region in southeastern Melbourne, Australia, known for its sandy soil. Several significant golf courses are located in the region.
The Melbourne Sandbelt is a rough triangle extending from Brighton south along the coast of Port Phillip Bay to Frankston and to the east as far as Heatherton, Clayton and Oakleigh.
Much of Melbourne's eastern suburbs are covered by heavy clay subsoil. Around 20 million years ago, lower lying areas were flooded, which deposited sandstone material, now known as the Brighton Group. [1] [2] [3] [4] The Sandbelt suburbs are built on remnant sand dunes from this time. [5] The sand can reach a depth of 80 metres in some places. [6] Further east and north, the clay remains, and this region is sometimes referred to as the Clay Belt by contrast to the Sandbelt.
The surface soils across the Sandbelt today are the result of the geology, topography, marine currents, climate and vegetation. The present-day coastal dune systems were formed in the last 6000 years by wave action depositing sand and silts from the bay onto its beaches. The most prominent dune systems are between Mordialloc and Frankston. This formed a coastal barrier, behind which occurs the Carrum Carrum Swamp in a section of the Port-Phillip sunkland.
Currently, the Sandbelt region has been impacted by extensive suburb growth, and there are few locations where the remnant vegetation has been preserved. Revegetation efforts by local councils are ongoing, and seek to return the land back to the remnant vegetation (prior to European settlement). To help achieve this, various vegetation communities have been identified. [7]
The following table presents the different vegetation communities of the Sandbelt, along with a list of associated species.
Sand mining has been conducted in the Sandbelt region since the 1880s. [8] Several former sand mining sites have been used for landfill waste disposal once mining ceased. [9]
Sandy soil is particularly suitable for golf courses. It is easy to place bunkers wherever a course designer chooses, without the need to carry in sand from another location, and it is easy to ensure appropriate drainage. A feature of several Melbourne Sandbelt courses is that bunkers are cut right on the edge of a green, which is not possible in other courses with different soil types.
There are several major championship courses in the Melbourne Sandbelt which are regularly listed among the world's best. Notable courses include Royal Melbourne Golf Club, Victoria Golf Club, Kingston Heath Golf Club, Huntingdale Golf Club, and Metropolitan Golf Club. Royal Melbourne and Kingston Heath both feature in the Golf Digest top 20 courses in the world. [10]
The City of Kingston is a local government area in Victoria, Australia in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, its northern boundary lying approximately 15 km from the Melbourne city centre along the north-eastern shorelines of Port Phillip. It covers an area of 91 km² and has an estimated population of 163,431 people.
Carrum Downs is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 36 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Frankston local government area. Carrum Downs recorded a population of 21,976 at the 2021 census.
Cheltenham is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 18 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Bayside and Kingston local government areas. Cheltenham recorded a population of 23,992 at the 2021 census.
Edithvale is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 28 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Kingston local government area. Edithvale recorded a population of 6,276 at the 2021 census.
Heatherton is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 19 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Kingston local government area. Heatherton recorded a population of 2,826 at the 2021 census.
Moorabbin railway station is located on the Frankston line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the south-eastern Melbourne suburb of Moorabbin, and opened on 19 December 1881 as South Brighton. It was renamed Moorabbin on 1 May 1907.
Mordialloc railway station is located on the Frankston line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the south-eastern Melbourne suburb of Mordialloc, and it opened on 19 December 1881.
Clayton South is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 20 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Kingston local government area. Clayton South recorded a population of 13,381 at the 2021 census.
Patterson Lakes is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 35 km (22 mi) south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Kingston local government area. Patterson Lakes recorded a population of 7,793 at the 2021 census.
Beaumaris is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 20km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Bayside local government area. Beaumaris recorded a population of 13,947 at the 2021 census.
Huntingdale is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 16 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Monash local government area. Huntingdale recorded a population of 1,949 at the 2021 census.
Oakleigh South is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 17 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Kingston and Monash local government areas. Oakleigh South recorded a population of 9,851 at the 2021 census.
The City of Moorabbin was a local government area about 20 kilometres (12 mi) southeast of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The city covered an area of 53.13 square kilometres (20.51 sq mi), and existed from 1862 until 1994.
Port Phillip, sometimes referred to as Port Phillip Bay, is a large bay in southern Victoria, Australia, 1,930 km² in area, with a coastline length of 264 km (164 mi). The bay is extremely shallow for its size, but mostly navigable. The deepest portion is only 24 m, and half the region is shallower than 8 m. Its volume is around 25 km³. The city of Melbourne is located at its northern end, near the mouth of the Yarra River.
Port Phillip is in Victoria, Australia. It has many beaches, most of which are flat, shallow and long, with very small breaks making swimming quite safe. This attracts many tourists, mostly families, to the beaches of Port Phillip during the summer months and school holidays. Water sports such as body boarding and swimming are common, though waves are very rarely large enough for surfing. A number of lifesaving clubs operate along Port Phillip’s beaches.
Huntingdale Golf Club is a golf club located in Oakleigh South, Melbourne, Australia.
Sandbelt Bowls Region, affiliated with Bowls Victoria is home to 40 lawn bowls clubs in the South and South Eastern Region of Melbourne, Victoria.
The Federal Football League was an Australian rules football competition in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, that was in existence from 1909 to 1981. It was regarded as one of the strongest metropolitan leagues in Melbourne and in the 1960s and it is said that Channel Seven were seeking to telecast league games on a Sunday.
The Bay Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians which follows the coastline of Port Phillip Bay through the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
